Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible” (Mark 10:17-27 – NRSV).
Introductory notes
General
See also Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 18:18-30. However, whereas Mark calls him a “man”, in Matthew it’s a “young man” and in Luke a “certain ruler”. Only in Mark do we learn that the man “had many possessions” (10:22).
Mark continues his journey motif. See also:
- 8:27: “Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’”
- 9:30-31: They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’”
- 9:33: “Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’”
- 10:1: “He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.”
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. Jesus’ life and teaching is defined by Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the place of his redeeming sacrifice.
Specific
what must I do to inherit eternal life?: The expression, “eternal life”, should be taken as a synonym for the “kingdom of God”. At least three things are noteworthy about this question. First of all it follows immediately after Jesus has made the following declaration: “‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it’” (10:15-16). Secondly, the question comes from an anonymous bystander rather than from one of the disciples. Thirdly, we must note the particular emphasis in the man’s question: “What must I do …. ?” Whilst this is a good question, it does seem to imply that the man wants a program or a project that he can do to earn entry to the kingdom. The kingdom is God’s kingdom, not our kingdom. God invites, God receives, God enables. How can I be part of this unmerited and unearned gift of “eternal life”? Jesus has already answered that question: “Be like a little child”.
Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone: Jesus draws the man’s focus back to God and away from his own behaviour.
You know the commandments: This switch to the ethical demands of the Commandments should be heard in the context of the “God alone” statement. In other words, whilst it is good to be ethically upright, it is not enough and it is certainly not the essence of what is on offer in the kingdom. Recall Paul’s admission in Philippians 3:6: “as to righteousness under the law, blameless”. The centre of the fully human life is not the human being but God. Christian holiness is much more than ethical behaviour, valuable as that is. “The commandments listed here come from the second part of the Decalogue, which concerns relationships with other human beings. Their order—murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, honoring parents—highlights murder and adultery. But why emphasize murder in the case of a sincere seeker of God’s kingdom?” (J R Donahue, & D J Harrington, The Gospel of Mark, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002, 303).
Jesus, looking at him, loved him: Jesus did not look on hypocrites in that way. It seems that Jesus had a genuine affection for this man. One commentator writes: “Jesus is not being deceived by the rich man. He sees inside him and ‘loved him’. The word for ‘love’ (Gk. agapan) is the highest form of love in the NT, meaning love that characterizes God and of which God is worthy. There must have been something rare and admirable in the man, for of no one else in the Gospel does Mark say that Jesus ‘loved him’” (J R Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002, 312). Perhaps Jesus is using a strategy? In citing all the obvious commandments – who would not fulfil these? – he exposes a common basic ethical goodness. In that context of a general moral integrity, Jesus invites the man to a radical new way of being human.
You lack one thing: Even this man of moral integrity – whom Jesus “loves” – still “lacks one thing”. Recall the incident with the children immediately before this encounter: “And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it’. And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them” (Mark 10:13-16 – ESV). Jesus has thus already answered this man’s question. We cannot assume that it is the moral achievements of the children that Jesus commends. It is however fair to assume it probably has something to do with their innocence and vulnerability, their trust and their openness. In other words, the kingdom is God’s gift not our achievement – by moral or any other means.
Follow me: What the man seeks – though he does not yet know it – is right before him. It is Jesus, God enfleshed. This is an awakening that has not yet dawned in this man’s life. Maybe it never will? Jesus attempts to awaken him but does not succeed, certainly not in this moment. Perhaps, if Jesus had given him something challenging to do without being so utterly vulnerable – for example, say some extra prayers, give alms, make a special pilgrimage to Jerusalem – he might have been happy with that. One commentator writes of Jesus’ teaching that is particularly evident in the parables: “The parables of Jesus seek to draw one into the Kingdom, and they challenge us to act and to live from the gift which is experienced therein. But we do not want parables. We want precepts and we want programs. We want good precepts and we want sensible programs. We are frightened by the lonely silences within the parables” (John Dominic Crossan, In Parables – The Challenge of the Historical Jesus, Harper and Row, 1973, 82.)
Love is not having to say you’re sorry, right?
In today’s Gospel – Mark 10:17-27 – we have “the longest sustained treatment of any ethical issue in the gospel (of Mark) and (it) reflects Jesus’ ethic of radical discipleship” (John Donahue, SJ & Daniel Harrington, SJ, The Gospel of Mark, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002, 306). Within that “sustained treatment” there is an important development. But before we consider that, recall a common view of the ethical life.
The 1970 movie, Love Story, contained a line that was instantly popular: “Love is not having to say you’re sorry.” This view reflected the already popular view: “Do what you like, so long as you don’t hurt anybody.” The emphasis is on what not to do. As far as it goes, this negative approach has some merit. But we might ask, where is the “Yes!” to existence, the commitment, the openness to our best possibilities, the willingness to suffer and even die for what is true and good? As so often occurs with us humans, control is a major issue. The negative ethic implies control. Taking the next step and embracing the “Yes!” implies letting go.
This man in the Gospel asks: “‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” Jesus’ response must be read carefully. He grades the commandments – starting with four negative and ending with one positive. He is inviting the young man, who has begun the ethical journey, to take the next steps, to let go and embrace the challenge of an “ethic of radical discipleship”.
An ethical vision focused by “No!” – “No! I have not murdered, I have not committed adultery, I am not a thief or a liar, I do not bear false witness and I am not a fraud,” is a good place to start. But it is not a good place to end. Jesus thus puts a positive commandment to the young man: “Honour your father and mother”. This is an invitation to move beyond the “No!” and embrace the “Yes!”. Jesus saw something very good in this man. It is the only occasion in the Gospel where Mark tells us that Jesus looked at someone and loved them.
The core of Jesus’ challenge to the young man is universal, it is a challenge to each of us: “Let go of the obstacles between us and follow me!” For one person, the obstacles may be material possessions, for another it may be ideas or expectations or selfishness. Each of us is invited to let go of anything and everything that prevents us from freely saying “Yes!” to our best possibilities. The heart of this ethical vision is found in the last words of today’s Gospel: “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible”. The ethical life proposed by Jesus is a work of grace. Our task? Get out of the way and let God be God!